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South Bethany News

Town of South Bethany, Delaware

Population:

449 (2010 Census)

Town council meetings:

Town council regular meetings on the second Friday of the month, except January, at 7 p.m., in the town hall meeting room; council workshops/special meetings on the fourth Thursday of the month, except November, at 5 p.m . Workshop meeting dates and times subject to change.

Planning & Zoning meets:

as needed

Elections:

Mayor elected separately from the council at the same time; alternating slates of three council seats, with two-year terms for mayor and council members

South Bethany Police Chief Troy Crowson swears he isn’t trying to sell anything. But he was visibly impressed with a home-security system that recently assisted with preventing a possible crime in South Bethany.

Recently, while outside of Delaware, a woman was able to use live security footage to see strangers approaching her South Bethany house — and tell them to leave.

Officials from area coastal towns met recently under the auspices of the Association of Coastal Towns (ACT), focused primarily on the issue of dredging in the inland bays, Bethany Beach Mayor Jack Gordon noted at the Bethany town council’s Nov. 17 meeting.

Gov. John Carney, U.S Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) on Monday announced that the next steps are under way in the long-awaited beach replenishment projects in Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island.

Gov. John Carney, U.S Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) on Monday announced that the next steps are under way in the long-awaited beach replenishment projects in Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island.

Coastal Point photos • Tyler Valliant: Participants in South Bethany’s Annual Adopt-A-Canal End Contest pose for a photo at one of the canal ends.South Bethany is rewarding green behavior. For seven years now, the Annual Adopt-A-Canal End Contest has encouraged residents and property owners to help beautify their little corners of town, for the benefit of all.

Canal ends can be pleasant spots to rest and enjoy the water (from the land), so the Community Enhancement Committee encourages people to create small gardens, which then compete in a summertime beauty contest. Although there were only three winners, many volunteers dedicated hundreds of hours of hard work to landscape 34 different canal ends throughout town.

Lord’s Landscaping joined the winners and town officials on Aug. 18 to present gift certificates to the winning three.

South Bethany’s six fulltime police officers are alleging they have not been paid or promoted as they should be. A June 30 demand letter from the officers centers around promotion issues for some officers and holiday pay for all officers.

“Every officer here is affected, which is why we’re all represented,” said SBPD Sgt. Lee Davis.

While the South Bethany Town Council brainstorms a way to pay for a police department expansion, they’ll shuffle some rooms around for the time-being, in an effort to reduce, but not eliminate the SBPD’s liability issues.

They will swap the evidence and holding rooms; move the court videophone; add several key-card locks; and install a new exhaust fan.

To ignite Fourth of July festivities full of fun and community involvement, South Bethany will be holding its fourth annual South Bethany Boat Parade on Sunday, July 2.

Beginning at 5 p.m., the decorated boats are going to sail across the waters of the Jefferson Creek “bay area” on the west side of South Bethany while visitors and residents watch and cheer from the sides.

On May 27, residents and property owners chose a path forward in the 2017 South Bethany Town Council election, and it’s a path they’ve been on before. They elected former councilman Timothy Saxton and incumbents Frank Weisgerber Jr. and Carol Stevenson back onto the dais.

The Town’s Traffic Committee is wrapping up its mission to improve safety and speeding in South Bethany’s Cat Hill neighborhood.

More than a year ago, they were instructed to research ideas to address traffic volume, traffic speed and pedestrian safety in a residential neighborhood that is increasingly used as a beach-traffic artery.

It’s time for voters to make their call, as the South Bethany town council election allows them to choose this week from five candidates vying for three seats. Polls will be open Saturday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at town hall.

Coastal Point • File Photo: Itzel Aguilar, Edgar Lopez and Chris Clark show off wood-burning art during a past World Fair Trade Day at Made By Hand in South Bethany.South Bethany business Made By Hand will be hosting its 15th annual World Fair Trade Day this weekend.

World Fair Trade Day will take place on Saturday, May 13, from noon to 5 p.m., and feature samplings and information from JuiceFresh, a Rehoboth Beach business that produces organic juice and a three-day juice cleanse.

“We always try to find something new and exciting,” said Kimberly Grimes, who co-owns the store with her husband, Marco Hernandez. “In years past, we always focused on a particular artisan. Then we thought, this year, why don’t we focus more on our customers that we love? That came up with the theme — ‘Fair Trade Day: Be Fair to Yourself.’ They’re trying to help people get more energy, have less food cravings.”

Grimes said attendees can also learn how to renew their spirit through detox, raw, vegan and paleo foods.

South Bethany is mapping a history trail for all to see.Coastal Point • Laura Walter: South Bethany Historical Society President Bob McCarthy displays a historical photo of South bethany at the dedication of the Town’s new Trail of History.

Residents gathered at Richard Hall Memorial Park on April 21 to unveil South Bethany’s new Trail of History.

“The fact that you’re here means South Bethany is your own very special part of the earth,” Councilwoman Sue Callaway told the crowd on Earth Day weekend.

The project was a partnership between the Community Enhancement Committee and South Bethany Historical Society.

Starting in the east, five signboards tell South Bethany’s story through the years, from the first purchase of coastal land in the 1950s and quest to incorporate as a town, into the 21st century.

It got conversation buzzing. At each stop, people found photographs of familiar faces and homes. They remembered the canals before bulkheads, docks and regulations; stories of town politics; and swimming in the canals.

“It’s great that you guys found a wonderful place for this,” said Historical Society President Bob McCarthy, who remembers old debates over sewer installation, playgrounds and roads.

“People just don’t have an appreciation of how we got here today,” Callaway said.

Coastal Point • Tyler Valliant: For her years of service, Dee Burbage received tributes from state Rep. Ron Gray, left, and state Sen. Gerald Hocker on behalf of the Delaware State Legislature.Once, a Missouri man walked into South Bethany Town Hall, utterly lost. He had driven around for two hours, looking for the ocean. The staff were politely baffled. Finally, they asked if he had driven over the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

“Yes,” he said.

“Well, that was the ocean,” Town Clerk Dee Burbage replied.

For 33 years, Burbage has been the welcoming face at South Bethany Town Hall. On April 4, Deloris “Dee” Burbage retired from her position as town clerk.

Regardless of silly questions and sometimes cranky residents, Burbage has served the public for the past 33 years.

“You just learn to laugh with them or say, ‘OK — let me figure that out,’” Burbage said. “For the most part, people are nice.”